Released: 2024
“Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone serves up a slice of tender introspection, dressed in the fragile hope that underlies our most cherished connections. It’s a poignant narrative of gratitude, love, and the haunting fear of loss, wrapped up in a melody that bounces between soothing verses and a chorus that clings to your soul.
The song starts with Boone reflecting on personal growth out of rough times, mentioning a progression “better than the last four cold Decembers, I recall.” Here, Boone uses “cold Decembers” as a metaphor for difficult times, each year potentially representing a period of personal struggle. He then transitions into a brighter note, revealing a newfound stability in life: family visits and a romantic relationship that’s received his parents’ stamp of approval—an undeniably significant nod in the realm of family dynamics.
But amid the sunshine, there’s an undercurrent of trepidation. Boone expresses gratitude for the happiness he’s encountered, but he’s acutely aware that the same fate that delivered these blessings can as swiftly retract them. In pop culture, this juxtaposition slingshots the listener right into the tension of the story—he’s got it all, yet he’s haunted by the potential to lose it all.
The chorus pleads its case with a simple, heartfelt request: “Please stay.” Boone’s repetition of “I want you, I need you, oh God” is a raw exclamation of his dependency on the love and the ‘beautiful things’ he now has in his life. “Don’t take” serves as a prayer or a bargain with a higher power to preserve the joy he’s found. This is Boone’s heart on his sleeve, a moment of vulnerability that becomes the song’s emotional nucleus.
In the second verse, Boone delves into a self-aware introspection. He’s regained his mental health—”found my mind, I’m feelin’ sane”—and his faith, which could suggest a spiritual awakening or a restored belief in the good in life. Yet, ironically, it’s in this moment of calm and clarity he finds a new anxiety: the inert fear that this newfound happiness is fleeting. “Why do I sit and wait ’til it’s gone?” lines illustrate the human tendency to anticipate the end even as we bask in the beginning. He acknowledges the peace and love he possesses, but he’s kept awake by a lurking premonition of impending loss, hinting at the paradox of human psychology where sometimes it feels like waiting for the other shoe to drop is ingrained in our nature.
What we’ve got in “Beautiful Things” is a ballad that reaches beyond the honeymoon phase of life’s highs and pokes at the looming what-ifs that accompany having something worth losing. It’s an anthem for the anxious hearts, a song that resonates with anyone who’s ever held something so dear that the mere thought of its absence is paralyzing. Boone captures the beauty and curse of profound love and the universal fear that walks hand-in-hand with the joy we hold most dear.
